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One of the most significant elements in the environment is arsenic (As). It is a hazardous metalloid that causes contamination of soil and water supplies as a result of numerous anthropogenic and natural sources. This pollution has detrimental impacts on human health and the ecosystem, making it crucial to monitor and control. The release of As from minerals into the soil and groundwater depends on the kind of mineral, pH, and redox conditions. As is typically found in two forms, trivalent arsenic (As3+, arsenite) and pentavalent arsenic (As5+, arsenate), both of which are inorganic and extremely deadly. When it comes to toxicity, arsenite is more dangerous than arsenate. Many people have been affected by As poisoning, due to exposure to As through water and food. Nowadays, accurate, fast measurement of As in the field remains a technical challenge; however, the X-ray fluorescence method is considered the most reliable, cost effective and capable of measuring a wide spectrum of metals. Health risk assessment is a crucial parameter to estimate the health hazards of the As molecule. The risk assessment approach proposed by the USEPA is common and widely used, amongst others. On the numerous health risk assessment models/frameworks used to foresee the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health impacts brought on by As-contaminated water, little information is currently accessible. This discussion also emphasizes the need for more study on the risks to human health posed by specific As species (both organic and inorganic) found in As-contaminated water.

Geochemical and lithological parameters of sapropel in lakes, combined with pollen data and radiocarbon 14C dating, contain a wide spectrum of environmental information. This includes records of fluctuations of water level and changes of conditions of sedimentation, accumulation of organic matter and chemical elements due to climate change, human impacts and other environmental changes. Rising concentrations of hazardous substances in the natural sediments are likely to be a high risk to the natural environment. At the same time, they can greatly reduce opportunities for environmental engineering of lakes. Four lakes with different trophic states and anthropogenic pressures were chosen for this study in Lithuania. Higher concentrations of elements like Cr, Cu and Zn were not only detected in the top most layers of sapropel but also in deeper layers and are attributed to lithogenic association of trace elements in such deep layers. Concentrations of Pb were detected only in upper layers of sapropel which indicates the impact of anthropogenic activity. The main source of heavy metals was multidimensional anthropogenic pollution leading to a biogenic–anthropogenic association of elements. Sapropel with low concentrations of heavy metals exhibits a different inter-association matrix because most of the elements tend to form lithogenic–clastogenic associations.

Arsenic (As) is one of the most important elements found in the environment. It is a toxic metalloid that is res-ponsible for the contamination of soil/sediments and water courses due to various natural and anthropogenic processes. This may lead to adverse effects on human health, therefore it is important to monitor and control. The objective of this paper is to summarize the literature on arsenic anomalies in soil/sediments and water of four North-East European countries; the measurements are reported for Finland, Sweden, Lithuania and Poland. The origin of most of the arsenic pollution is determined to be natural and mostly anthropogenic for these co-untries. The data reveal that As is present in matrices such as soil, sediments and water. This review highlights that the As concentration in drinking water or soil/sediments of the four countries exceeds the international standard limits. As at higher concentrations are associated with the mining region of Adak in the Västerbotten district of northern Sweden (e.g. groundwater upto 2900 μg/L; sediments upto 900 mg/kg).